Mistinguett: A La Rose, Moulin Rouge

Tousled strawberry blond hair, sparkling green eyes, pink cheeks and lips, and a rose held between bright white teeth—Charles Gesmar’s message writ large is: Mistinguett is young, beautiful, modern and flirtatious, and her performances at the Moulin Rouge are thrilling. This poster is not an advertisement for a particular performance, but rather for Mistinguett herself. Although she began as a flower seller and ballad singer, she soon became famous for her risqué cabaret routines. In 1919, her legs were reportedly insured for the astonishing sum of 500,000 francs, and she was the highest paid female performer in the world. Among Mistinguett’s many lovers was the much younger Maurice Chevalier.